Reflections
by Cylinse
Summary: [complete] IY YYH xover “We are but reflections of longdead legends, their memories given new flesh. We still live, we still breathe, yet not even those closest to us seem to understand...”
1. Part I Kagome

**Part I. Kagome**

* * *

I gaze at the blue-black sky, flecked with the little white specks we humans call "stars". They are so delicate, so fragile. They are like tiny puncture wounds in my rotting heart, wounds he gave me when he chose her over me so nonchalantly. I'm not good enough for him, but a "clay pot" is. I wish that these wounds had marred my skin; at least then I would have the scars to show for my pains. 

_"These ones here were given to me by Inuyasha," I'd tell my grand-children._

_"Oooh, really? Was he mean?" they'd ask me, all watching me eagerly._

_"Of course," I'd say. "But I feel sorry for him. He __**did** spend the rest of his life with a clay pot!"_

Then we would all laugh, finding it hilarious that someone would want to spend his life with a clay pot. Of course, I would never tell them that she is more of a golem than a garden-variety clay pot. Kikyou will never rate above flowerpot in my eyes.

I wish that I could find matters so funny now. I am constantly struggling not to destroy Kikyou's breakable brethren, leaving their remains scattered about the ground in my grief, as Inuyasha left the pieces of my broken heart strewn about on the floor. Even now, I attempt to gather them up and sew them back together, to form some sort of freakish Franken-heart.

Maybe I could just steal Kikyou's heart. An image of Kikyou, with a bloody hole where her heart should be, briefly flickers across my mind with a touch of amusement. But then how would I get Inuyasha back, if I were to slay his clay pot? Immediately the amusement is gone, replaced with frustration with myself for being so stupid.

_This is how you got yourself into this situation, Kagome-girl,_ I scold myself, but not without an inner sigh. I have an odd feeling that breaking this... addiction to Inu will be more difficult than trying to stop smoking.

Not as though I've ever been into anything like that.

I stand, deciding that I've lolled around enough for one day, and stroll off leisurely in a random direction, careful to bring the remains of my tattered heart.

For a terrifying moment, I wonder if there is anything that I am forgetting, anything that needs doing, before realizing that it really doesn't matter. That is the truly marvelous part of being alone, being able to do what you want, when you want. Oh, the apathy! And the best part? Inuyasha is too busy worrying about Kikyou dearest to even notice that I was gone.

The time to return home has finally come, but not before a bath.

After a brief search, I hear a welcome sound: that of running, hopefully steamy, water. Hotspring, anyone? I head off in that direction and find my prize, water warm enough to boil lobsters.

As I strip off my mud-stained uniform, I catch a glimpse of the last person I wan to see. Kikyou is looking back at me! I jump back, startled, but quickly realize that it is just my reflection. I splash the water, breaking up the unwanted reminder of why I am here.

It is hurtful to be mistaken for someone else, especially when the one doing the mistaking is you yourself. It is just more proof of what I have known deep down since the beginning. Everyone I met, or at least those who knew Kikyou, mistook me for her. Inuyasha even took it a step further: he mistook his love of Kikyou for love of me, and I foolishly accepted the false love.

Now I accept the truth: his care for me stemmed from his care for Kikyou.

I slip into the water, bringing my uniform with me. It might as well be cleaned.

I left my all my other things behind except for my bow, some arrows in a quiver, and the precious jewel that had started this whole mess, the Shikon Jewel, which now hung around my neck like a badge of shame.

I scrub at myself, washing away more than grime. I am washing all the dregs of my love of Inuyasha from my soul.

Presently, I feel much better, and I set off again in my newly-cleaned uniform. I am determined to take the Shikon jewel home with me, where I can watch over it. However, it is not meant to be.

I hear a cry of, "Thief!" and catch a glimpse of silver through the trees as someone runs by.

A group of armed men suddenly surround me, weapons lowered at the ready. "Them damn kitsune!" one exclaims. "When'll they ever learn that we know about their shape-changes?"

"Well, looks like we caught this one. Thinking that the form of a pretty young woman'll make us let ya go?" another comments.

A third has gotten close enough that I can smell his beer-ridden breath. It nearly makes me gag. "She be mighty pretty!"

"Don't let its tricks fool ya!" a fourth, probably their leader, warns. Unlike the others, his armor looks like it was well-made, and he is the only one without a weapon aimed at my heart. It doesn't matter; I don't have a heart left for them to pierce. Or at least, I wouldn't mind if they did so. I move, and I remember something hanging around my neck, a pink orb that eminates a pale light...

_Shit!_ _The jewel! They're gonna get the jewel!_

"Doesn't matter if it is that kitsune, eh? We can still have some fun with 'er!" a particularly foul one with one eye suggests. With this, there is a chorus of general agreement.

_Wait! __Kikyou has helped a lot of people in her lifetime. And I look like her... so maybe if I..._

"Get your hands off me, scum," I say in my best imitation of the clay pot. She can help me.

"The fox speaks!" one of them jeers. I shoot him Kikyou's glare of death.

"I am the priestess Kikyou, a traveling priestess," I announce, "and that you would accuse me of being a thief and moreover, a liar, greatly upsets me."

For a moment, nothing happens.

"Lady Kikyou?" their leader finally says. "Yes, it must be you. I would know that face anywhere!" I almost let out a sigh of relief, but then he continues. "You used to heal the people of our village, but when my brother fell ill, you did nothing! You simply left! You obviously caused his death yourself!"

I realize that I may have just made matters worse. I knew that I can't exactly let them have the jewel, so I do the only thing I can: I kick the man nearest me in the crotch, grab my bow from my back, and aim it at their leader. "I swear if you do not release me, I will slay you!" I try to sound tough, but he laughs in my face.

The other men begin closing in on me now. In a panic, I shoot off three of my precious arrows, downing three of the pack, but more were closing in on me quickly. A fourth arrow, and I am out. I search the ground and found a knife, dropped by one of the victims of my arrows, and point it at the nearest attacker, but there are too many coming at me all at once, and it's clear that I don't know how to fight.

A fiery pain in my right shoulder knocks me down, and now the men are coming in for the kill.

_Didn't Kikyou die of an injury on her right shoulder? _I wonder. One thinks the strangest things when one is about to die. I close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable end, but it doesn't come. There is a sickening squelching sound, and then absolute silence. One, two, three minutes, and I dare to open them again.

A single clawed hand hangs in my line of vision, white like some sort of angel's. A guardian angel, because the owner of that hand has just saved my life. I take the hand, and I am helped to my feet.

Two golden eyes catch my blue ones, their gaze almost hypnotic. I break off the contact, and instead examine my rescuer. Perfectly groomed long, white hair, wearing all white... Sessoumaru? Then I see the top of his head, adorned with two ears, and the long, fluffy tail, which drapes to the ground gracefully. He makes me think of adult Shippou, but he is not cute by a long shot. He is beautiful.

"Are you that kitsune they were talking about?" I ask him. I feel woozy.

"Yes. I apologize for bringing you into this mess, Lady Kikyou," he lilts in a charming voice. I think I am in love, or maybe it's just the adrenaline.

"I'm not..." I begin, but I don't think I finished that sentence. Darkness greets me.

* * *

The next few days, I drift in and out of consciousness. Every time I awake, he is there, and every time I close my eyes, I dream of death. Horrible death. I remember awakening briefly to see open concern clouding his features before I fall back into my hazy dreamland. 

Every time I stir, he forces slimy gloop down my throat. Poison? But it tastes cool and refreshing, and it makes me feel better.

He never speaks to me.

My body isn't the only part of me that heals under his care. I am gathering my heart's shards as I once gathered the jewel.

When I finally awake, I find myself in a green mystery world. I am wrapped up in blankets on a soft cot. A clean kimono, creamy white, is laid out alongside me, and a note is pinned to it that says, "Lady Kikyou: Your old clothing was ruined, and it smelled absolutely disgraceful. I burned it upon your arrival. You will wear this instead."

I shrug off my blankets, noticing for the first time that I am wearing my birthday suit, and blush.

_Oh, well. It's too late to change that now._

I poke at the kimono, wondering how I am to put it on, when he strides in. Immediately, I re-wrap myself in my blanket.

"You're awake!" he exclaims. His animated mannerisms, his tone of voice, he_** is**_ Shippo in ten years.

"Thank you for your help," I tell him.

"I led your attackers to you, and, therefore, your recovery falls to me," he explains. There is an undertone to his words that makes me feel ill at ease, but I shrug it off.

"It was my fault for being there," I say. I almost expect him to take Inuyasha's approach and scold me for getting in the way. It occurs to me that I am arguing with a strange kitsune that I am to blame for his mistake. I suddenly feel ridiculous.

He laughs at my words. "Fine, Lady Kikyou. You were at fault. Are you satisfied?"

I choose to ignore the "Kikyou" and instead ask, "How long was I unconscious?" I am afraid of the answer. I know that I have probably missed that calculus final I was dreading, not to mention various chemistry pop quizzes. I was seriously wounded.

"Nearly a week. It would have been less, but your wound was badly infected," he tells me.

"A week?" I say in disbelief. He cringes. "Wow. That's... amazing." He looks at me curiously with those rich, golden eyes, no doubt wondering how a week could possibly be a short time.

"You're probably hungry. We can eat in twenty minutes. Get dressed," he says, turning to leave. I know that I will never figure out this kimono in that time. I am accustomed to wonderful little commodities such as buttons and zippers. And so...

"Wait!" I call after him.

"Yes?" he asks, turning around. A chilling smile lifts the corners of his mouth. Well, it isn't really chilling, but the feeling that I see behind it certainly is.

"Could you explain to me how one puts on a kimono?" I ask him. My cheeks are probably as red as two ripe tomatoes. "I've never worn one before..."

* * *

I sit across a floor-level table from him, my eyes on my food, my cheeks still stained red. 

_Great._ _I'm stuck in a cave with a kinky kitsune. Just great._

He was quite enthusiastic in his aid. "Lady Kikyou this, Lady Kikyou that!" He even suggested removing his own and showing me how he put it back on, eyeing my breasts in the meantime. I thought that Miroku was a pervert! If I ever see the monk again, I will never, ever complain about his groping. I will welcome it with open arms. After all, he could do worse: he could take lessons from this guy.

"I have a question for you," I say, not sure what prompts me to do so.

"Ask it."

"What would you do to obtain all the power you've ever wanted?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"You forget, Lady. I am kitsune. We don't desire strength."

"Then what do you desire?" Only after the words have left my mouth does it occur to me that I probably don't **_want _** to know, and hewill tell me all too eagerly.

"The finer things in life--knowledge, wealth," he leans closer, "beautiful women." I can feel his warm breath on my face. I jerk back quickly. He doesn't like my reaction.

"Kitsune believe that it is disgraceful to seek power beyond oneself. Those of us who are strong, are born strong, and those of us who are weak accept that weakness."

"I take it you're a strong one, then."

He gives me the most sour look I've seen on his face yet and turns to his food with gusto.

We finish our meal silently.

"I should leave. I promised an old friend that I would meet him..." I begin, but he interrupts me.

"Nonsense! You are still recovering from a terrible injury. Stay at least one more day," he says with that same chilly smile. He has clearly recovered from my accusation.

* * *

So through a combination of subtle guilt-trips and clever responses, he coerces me to stay another night. I didn't stand a chance against him. He knows exactly what he is doing, and I have no idea how to politely fight off his advances. 

It is a "cold" night, and he "doesn't have many blankets. Perhaps we should share our warmth?" I find myself laying with my back turned to him as his arms round my waist pulled me closer, and he clearly isn't about to let me go. I can't sleep all night; his face is buried in my hair, his wet nose caressing my neck.

Early the next morning, I am up the moment he is, black bags under my eyes from lack of sleep.

"I truly must be leaving, kind sir," I suggest.

He looks at me, sighs, and finally says, "I suppose that you have no desire to stay with me, lovely miko."

My heart trills when he calls me that, but I catch myself. _This is another Inuyasha, I'll bet. _

"I am forced to allow you to leave my company."

He sounds so desolate when he says these words that I almost want to cry, "No, I'll stay here!" but then I remember his earlier manipulations. I suspect that this is just an act so that I say something I'll regret. I choose to remain silent.

He frowns at me for a fraction of an instant. My response wasn't the expected one. He recovers quickly, though, and changes tactics.

"Yet..." he pauses, as though thinking. He is a very skilled actor. "I will give you a gift, to remember me." He leads me through his green cave, a maze of similar passageways, and into a large cave that brims with treasure. I can't help but gasp. It's so shiny...

"Take what you desire."

_Greed. __That's why he brought me here. He thinks I might stay with him because of his wealth.  
_

I see something in the far corner of the room and trot over, grinning with delight. He follows me. He has an entire chest overflowing with baubles of every color. Baubles that look remarkably similar to the Shikon Jewel. Inspiration strikes. Maybe it's time to try some manipulation of my own?

Could I trust him, though? His words from before echo in my head. _"It's disgraceful to seek power beyond oneself..." _He meant it, too. He is more interested in studying the world than destroying it.

I've never been this sure about anything.

I pull out the Jewel and begin twirling it in my fingers as though it's a nervous habit. He notices it.

"What is that?" he asks me. Foxes are delightfully curious.

"This is the most precious thing I own."

"A bauble?"

"A soul."

He examines it more closely. He's mine.

"Demons once sought to claim its power, but now..."

"Now?"

"Now the Jewel of Four Souls has become little more than a bauble, really."

His ears perk up. He's heard of it. "Why is that, pray tell?"

"It's been purified."

"Could I handle it?"

I slip it off my neck and hand it to him. He appraises it carefully, his clawed fingers testing its shape and density. He smells it before returning it to me.

"That really is it," he says. "I've never held a legend in these hands of mine."

"They're impossible to steal?" I suggest.

"They're impossible to _find_," he corrects me.

"How would you like to add a legend to your collection?"

That caught him off guard.

"Why?"

"It's time for the Jewel to fade into obscurity."

_And that's the truth, too. _

I drop it into his hand, and a great burden is lifted from my shoulders. My heart tells me the Jewel is safe here. "It's time for me to vanish, as well."

He hands me a pack full of supplies, looking up from the jewel just long enough to say, "I wish you luck on your journeys, Lady Kikyou. Please, should you wish to return, ask about for me. My name is Youko Kurama. Humans and demons alike know where I can be found."

He hands me a flawless red rose, and as I take it from him he sweeps me into his arms, his soft lips caressing mine.

_Too bad, _I think as I walk away, _that I'll never see him again. He is kinky, but sweet. Is that even possible?_

* * *

I step out of the well in my time, still twirling the rose Youko gave me. I am quickly discovered and greeted by my family. 

"Kagome! You're home!" Sota, my little brother, cries joyfully. "And you look so cool!"

"Cool is hardly the word," mother supplies, leading me inside. "She looks beautiful! Our little Kagome has certainly grown up."

"She can't be back," I hear Grampa protest. "I just told them she had leprosy!"

I choose to ignore him, and instead followed my mother into the house.

She leads me up to the bathroom and hands me some normal clothes. "Here. You must be dying for a real bath. Though you do smell rather nice... like flowers."

I smile at her, setting down Youko's pack. I slip out of the silky kimono as I shut the door. That lesson in putting on kimonos will never be forgotten. I suppose that if everyone taught in that manner, I'd be at the best high school in Tokyo, poor attendance or not, and people would be begging me to attend their schools!

I catch a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and my heart skips a beat. There is Kikyou, staring at me again. Her pale, perfect skin, her long, soft hair, though mine has a bit more curl to it. My eyes are blue, rather than her dark brown, but they have the same concerned expression that I saw her wearing while caring for the ill. Finely defined hands with pale skin and long, aristocratic nails grasp my kimono. The nails are a bit scuffed, and need to be cut, but those hands...

I have grown up since last seeing myself in a real mirror.

There is a long, thin scar along my right shoulder where I was cut. Amazing healing, really. Now I understand why Inuyasha is always criticizing us "humans" for healing so slowly.

I slip into the bath for a very long soak.

By the time I am finished, my fingers and toes are all wrinkled like prunes, but I feel incredible. Back in the Feudal Era, they didn't really believe in soap, so my most recent bath was sans real cleansing products. It is a terribly unsatisfactory feeling, to just give yourself a thorough rinsing.

I step out of the bathroom and the scent of oden assaults my nose, preventing me from forming any more real thoughts, as I am too busy jumping up and down shrieking "Oden!" I am vaguely aware of Sota saying something along the lines of, "Awww, mom! Why'd you have to fix her oden on her first day back? Now we won't get any information out of her!"

After dinner, I return to my room, where the pack Youko gave me now rests. I need a new backpack for school, as my old one was abandoned in the Feudal Era.

I rummage through its contents. There are fruits and vegetables on top. Having heard tales of the nastier bits of kitsune trickery, I cautiously set them to one side. I will test them on Buyo, our fat cat, later. Sota will never notice if the cat suddenly has two heads or no fur. Plus, I figure that the cat owes me for sending me through that damn well.

Next comes carefully-wrapped packages containing dried meats, and at the very bottom is bread, probably fresh. It smells of rosemary. Laying across the bottom of the pack is a note that he wrote me:

_"Lady Kikyou: Thank you for giving me your trust. I will guard your bauble until the end of time, and even beyond. I still do not understand your logic in giving it to one of those you were charged to guard it from, but I will respect your decision. I wish that we could have become closer still, but even as I watched over your battered body while you healed, I knew that I was more likely to end up purified than in your bed. Still, I will be here, waiting, should you ever desire my arms, and your bauble with me."_

He waited a long time, I'll bet.

* * *

Months have passed. I examine my new school uniform. It belongs to one of the most pathetic high schools one can attend, and I dread putting it on. If I do, I will be admitting defeat, but after all those sick days, it is better than I expected. Still, this is the place where all the thugs, bullies, and future homeless go. 

I look between my new uniform and my old one and sigh. It isn't that bad. The blue matches my eyes.

* * *

By the time I dress, Sota is waiting for me. "Hey, Sis! What took you so long?" 

"Eh," I respond. I check the length of the skirt with my hands. "Couldn't mom have gotten one with a bit of a longer skirt? I feel naked!"

"She got it the same as your other uniforms." More proof that I've grown, I suppose.

The two of us walk in silence, and then Sota, trying to start a conversation, asks, "How was Inuyasha the last time you saw him?"

"He was perfectly happy with his clay pot," I huff. Sota knows about Kikyou, or at least that I call her the "clay pot," so this statement doesn't sound so odd to him as it might have sounded to a stranger. He also understands that I dislike Kikyou, but I never told him why, and he is too polite to ask.

Sota and I go our separate ways as he turns off to go to his school. "Good luck, sis!"

"Thanks," I respond.

* * *

The first thing I see is enough to make me want to leave. Some kid with slicked-back hair is beating up a very large, dumb-looking one and both are wearing a boy's version of my school uniform. 

"Dammit, Urameshi! That's the tenth time you've given me a beating this week!" the large one cries to the other boy. Are they... friends?

_If that's what friends here are like... what is it like to have an enemy?_ I shudder. I resolve to stay on everyone's good side.

Now a young woman with blue hair is helping the large one up. She has a boat oar in one hand and is wearing the same uniform as me. "Come on, boys! Lets get you two to class!"

She notices me and tries to conceal the oar, but she is too late. It is already clear that all these people are mad. I am tempted to run home to my Grandfather and let him keep coming up with his excuses, but I know that I have to pay the price for my time spent in the Feudal Era.

"H-hi," I say, trying not to stutter. _Don't show weakness! They can smell it! They'll eat you alive! _"My name's Kagome. Higurashi, that is." I am standing there like some sort of wild animal caught in oncoming traffic, not sure which way to run, but knowing that she must get the hell out of there.

Crazy-oar woman speaks first. "Hi, there! I'm Boton!" she exclaims in a friendly voice. She walks over and shakes my hand enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you, Boton," I say nervously. I'm not expecting the two thugs to come over and say hello as well, but clearly Boton of the Oar is their leader, and they follow her loyally.

"Yusuke," one states plainly. He has slicked-back hair. I think that he is trying to tell me something, but I'm not quite sure what. I'm taking a guess, though, that "Yusuke" is his name.

"Hi! I'm Kuwabara," the large one says. He seems friendly, but clearly, this fellow isn't too intelligent. He draws me into a bear hug, only letting go when I say, "Hey, I think you're cutting off my oxygen supply."

Now Boton of the Oar speaks. "You didn't see anything odd, did you?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," I answer. _Except for a woman carrying an oar, and two friends beating each-other up. But aside from that..._ I add silently. I glance at my watch. "Oops! I'd better get to class. Don't want to be late to my first day!"

"Wait... that is our school uniform you're wearing, right?" Yusuke comments. When I nod, he continues. "You're just as bad as Kurama!"

"Why don't you two follow her?" I hear Boton of the Oar order. Immediately, they do as instructed. I wonder why she herself isn't coming along, but sometimes it is best to remain silent. When you're being tailed by two thugs, for instance.

* * *

I step into my first class, after asking for directions from my "ducklings," and I immediately notice the lack of students present. About a third of the desks are filled. Yusuke and Kuwabara take seats by a redhead whose face I can't see; his long luscious hair drapes about him like a crimson cloud as he scribbles something on what looks like a piece of paper. Presumably, this is the "Kurama" to which I was compared. 

Before I can examine him further, however, the teacher calls me to the front. "Good morning class!" he announces cheerily, ignoring the empty desks. "This is Miss Higurashi! She's new to this school, so lets all give her a warm welcome!"

I can almost hear the crickets chirping in my head.

"Now, she's going to say three things about herself, so that then you can all get to know her better!" The teacher continues, moving aside that I might have the spotlight. My eyes widen in horror. I have to talk, in front of a class, about myself? What the hell am I supposed to say?

"Um... erm..." I begin. _Good start, Kagome. Keep up the good work._ "My first name... is Kagome." At the sound of my voice, the redhead slows his writing. "I... erm..." _Think, Kagome, think!_ "...aspire to be a writer..." _A writer? Where the hell did that come from? _"... and... um... I'm good in history." With the sort of half-laugh of a person who has nearly survived death, I allow the teacher to conduct me to a desk. For the remainder of class, I am in a trance. Ironic, really, that I can face viscious demons on a daily basis without fear, but put me in a math class, and I'm terrified.

* * *

Once class is out, Yusuke and Kuwabara greet me warmly. "You did a pretty good job up there," Yusuke assures me. 

"Um... thanks?" I am unsure how to respond. "I'm glad I never have to do that again!"

"Well, actually..." Yusuke and Kuwabara exchange a look that says it all.

"Shit," I curse, nearly dropping my books.

"Oh, yes. And in English class, you will be stuttering in a different language," a new voice supplies. It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place it.

I turn around and find myself facing the most beautiful human I have ever seen. Red tresses hang about his face in waves. I am tempted to touch them; they look soft. He has a smooth complexion and vivid green eyes. He could almost be mistaken for a girl, but there is a masculine air to him, despite his rosy scent.

The part that startles me the most about him, though, is how his eyes widen in shock when he sees my face.

"Kikyou?"

* * *

**REVISED 1/9/07**


	2. Part II Kurama

**Part II. Kurama**

* * *

I wipe chill perspiration from my brow. I dreamt about her again last night, the ebony-haired vixen from Youko's past. Kikyou. 

I suppose that my dreams are Youko's way of "subtly" telling me something, though I have no idea what, and when I last attempted to pry further into the matter, he built a wall between us so massive that I couldn't sense him for weeks. Not as though I complained.

When the dreams began, I had a sneaking suspicion that she was an old lover, or something of the sort, but now I feel that she was much more than that to him, and he was much less than that to her. Perhaps someone who turned him down? In that case, she probably injured his pride to the point where she became an obsession.

If there is one thing that I learned from him, it is the infamous kitsune curiosity. I can't help but wonder why she was significant and whether I will see her soon. She was a human priestess, yes, but that _**uniform**_...

The first night Youko showed her to me, I recognized her uniform: it was green and white with a red necktie, and just happens to be the uniform of a local school. Naturally, I went there to investigate, but no one seemed to know the name "Kikyou." It is odd, though, that she wore the uniform of a modern-day school, and my knowledge-hungry mind seeks an answer that makes sense.

I would speak to my friends, but I feel so insignificant right now. The only one they're _**really**_ interested in is Youko, after all. Without him, I am nothing. I suppose that the term for my condition is "depression," but admitting it is certainly not the first step to a cure.

"Kurama," they always call me. After Youko. Never "Shuichi."

_'Well, that **is** how you introduce yourself..._'

Recently, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking. Would I be the same person without Youko? What would I be like, had he not come along? Would I be like... Kuwabara? I shudder at the thought. Or maybe Yusuke. That would still be unpleasant, but at least then I would have a brain in my head. Or maybe I would be like neither of them, and instead play the damsel in distress. There is no telling whether my more... feminine... qualities were gifts from Youko or whether they were mine to begin with.

_'Or maybe you wouldn't exist?' _Youko suggested. '_You **are** just a facet of myself, you know.'_

_'Not helping, Youko,' _I retort.

I look up at the clock and choke. Where did the time go? It is time to get to school! I hastily get on my pants, throw on a white shirt so I'll be decent, snatch my jacket from my bed, grab my books and their bag, and sprint out the door, planting a quick farewell kiss on my mother's cheek. Down the steps, off the porch, through the front yard where Yusuke and Kuwabara should be waiting for me. Obviously, they already left due to my tardiness; I silently curse myself for letting my thoughts get the better of me.

Around the corner of the street, half-eaten breakfast roll in my mouth as I finish buttoning up a jacket that I wish was rose pink. Even as I run, I wonder about the Lady Kikyou, and more importantly, why Youko has chosen now to invade my thoughts with her.

Down a busy road, nearly hit by three cars, trying to swallow my breakfast as I bound in and out of alleys. I hope I can keep my meal down. Can't have the scent of regurgitated food staining my clothing!

_'Now where did that come from?_' I wonder.

Since when have I cared? It might scare off some of those loons, the ones who have doodles of me all over their binders. And yet... they never call me "Youko" or "Kurama". It is always Shuichi this and Shuichi that. They are a flock of mad seagulls all scrambling for the same crust of bread, only I'm no bread crust. I am much, much better than that.

_'Getting full of ourselves, aren't we,'_ Youko comments.

_'It's your influence,' _I reply, plowing down an old woman in the meantime. "Sorry!" I call after me. I can just hear her saying, "Kids these days..."

I catch a glimpse of Boton waving at me as I sprint past, tear into the school, and land gracefully in my seat thirty minutes early.

_'Whew,'_ I sigh inwardly. _'I was almost late there!'_

_'Late to be early. How ridiculous. You certainly didn't get that from me,_' Youko complains. I choose to ignore him.

I glance about my miserable classroom and sigh dejectedly. This is the price one must pay to be a Spirit Detective. Surrendering a good education for saving the world from evil demons on a nearly daily basis is hardly an even tradeoff; everyone knows that good education is essential to a developing mind.

However, on the positive side, attending school with Yusuke and Kuwabara makes work considerably more efficient. Coming here was the right decision. A good choice. The noble path...

I am drawn out of my comfort-thoughts by Youko, who wants to draw. This is a new one. Deciding to humor him, I pick up a pencil and began drawing long, sweeping lines. I'll let him do as he will. Gradually the lines become more specific until they form a woman. Now for details.

Meticulously, I draw her two eyes in the proper spots. They are full of determination. _I vaguely hear the teacher say something about a new girl named Higurashi, but pay no mind. I am too absorbed in my drawing._ Full, rounded lips, slightly opened to reveal unusually white teeth are added. _The teacher is telling her to say three things about herself, the usual torture for new students. _A dainty nose joins her other facial features, and I move onto her hair.

"Um... erm..." She begins, clearly unsure of what to say. I feel sorry for her, but not enough to look up. Kikyou's hair is much too important. "My first name... is Kagome." The way she says that, the way that word rolls off her lips... she sounds so familiar. I almost look up but then return my focus to Kikyou. I have to draw each individual rose on her kimono. "I... erm... aspire to be a writer..." A writer? Going here? Ha. "...and... um... I'm good in history." Good in history. Who isn't? I could probably tell her a hundred things right here and now that the history books don't mention, and they would all be true.

* * *

The rest of class passes quickly, and when I step outside I see Yusuke speaking to what appears to be the new student. "You did a pretty good job up there," he informs her. Her back is to me, though I can see that her hair is long, with lots of curl at the ends. She has long, slender legs protruding from a too-short skirt. 

She thanks him politely and then says, "I'm glad I never have to do that again!"

"Well, actually," Yusuke says, exchanging a look with Kuwabara. I know what that look means, and clearly she does, too, as the next word out of her mouth is, "Shit!"

Now is my chance to join the conversation. "Oh, yes. And in English class, you will be stuttering in a different language."

She turns around to face me, and my heart stops beating. I look from her down to my sketch from earlier, still in my hands, and back up again. "Kikyou?"

The effect this one little word has on both of us is astounding. Half a dozen different emotions flicker across her face, anger, jealousy, sadness, joy, and confusion, with a touch of hatred and a pinch of love. Finally, she settles on all-out confusion and scrutinizes me more closely.

I suppose that the name may mean something to her. She did react to it. Perhaps she is the reincarnation of the priestess, and the name stirs her ancient soul? But no, now she is examining me even more closely, taking in every inch of my body, and presently she offers a surprise of her own. "Youko? Is that you?"

My heart, which has just recovered from my last big surprise, sputters and dies, and I take a step back as though I've been struck. She recognizes me? Well, technically Youko? And the way she knows his name, it suggests that she actually is this Kikyou woman.

Immediately, my natural defenses kick in. I've seen prettier. No, she is quite ugly. Enough so that she could kill young children with a glance like the Medusa of Greek legend.

Youko is clamoring for control, and it is all I can do to keep him tame. However, despite my best efforts, he **_still_** manages to seize her and plant a soft kiss on her lips, a lover's kiss, to my eternal shame. She is startled for an instant, but then she smacks me. Hard.

_**"Pervert!" **_

I remember my friends now, and acknowledge their presence. "Could someone please tell me what is going on?" Yusuke wondered.

"Apparently, she and Youko are... old friends," I respond with a shrug.

"So you aren't the same person?" she mutters, and then blushes a shade of red so brilliant that I don't think I've ever seen it before. "I'm sorry for slapping you, then."

"Slapping him, actually. I don't mind. He deserved it."

"And now I am very confused," she says.

"It's complicated. We are the same person, but at the same time, we aren't," I explain.

She is even more gorgeous when confused.

_'Whatever happened to the Medusa?' _Youko wonders.

_'Butt out,' _I answer, using some of the vocabulary I learned from Yusuke.

I find myself lost in those deep blue pools of emotion she called "eyes," wondering how, exactly, I can tell her that I am essentially the result of Youko posessing a human being. A by-product.

_'You make it sound as though you're some sort of waste product_,' Youko says, fake concern in his voice. _'I like it!'_

Deciding to quote Yusuke again, I tell him, _'Screw off.' _

I am a reflection of Youko's soul given human form. I hardly rank above the dirt on the bottom of her shoes and...

_'That's enough of that!_' Youko warns me, effectively ending my train of thought.

_'Thanks,'_ I tell him gratefully.

When I look up, she is gone, probably to her next class. Yusuke and Kuwabara still stand like two stone sentinels beside me.

"So... now that you've returned to the living..." Yusuke mumbles.

"Sorry," I say, twirling a strand of my hair on my fingers.

"Don't say that to us!" Yusuke says. "We know how you are. But..."

"She doesn't," Kuwabara finishes strong with the two most intelligent words that I have ever heard coming from that mouth.

"And you might want to call her 'Kagome,' as that's how she introduced herself," Yusuke suggests.

"Thanks," I call after me while running off in search of Kikyou.

* * *

The sun is setting in the sky, like some sort of fiery bird descending to sleep, and I sit alone in my room, my homework finished, wondering where my Kikyou has gone. 

_'Ahem. I believe she knows us as "Youko" and is therefore mine,' _Youko comments.

_'Ours?'_ I suggest.

_'Fine,'_ he responds. '_I've shared with worse than you in the past.' _I don't want to think too much about that._  
_

_We _**are **_the same person... _I retort.

Wisely, he remains silent.

_Suuichi, 1. Youko, 0. _

He adds a one and several zeros in front of his score, but I don't care. I have just seen an enticing siren walk by outside.

I am out the door in thirty seconds or less, still struggling into my favorite pink jacket. "Kik--er, Kagome!" I shout. I am completely out of my usual character. I find that I don't care.

She turns around and sees me, and her face flushes with anger. She pauses for a moment before resuming her "stroll," which becomes a light jog, then a run, then an all out sprint. Finally she collapses, panting, on a park bench.

Youko, being Youko, examines the spot where she now sits and proclaims, '_It's nearly perfect! A real bed would be better, but...'_

Horrified, I block out his thought and take a seat beside Kikyou.

"What do you want?" she asks coldly. Certainly a change from this morning. This girl has severe mood-swings. Perhaps she should get checked for bipolar disorder?

"I'm sorry for ignoring you, Kikyou," I begin, prepared for a long, involved apology, but she interrupts me.

"I am not Kikyou! How many times do I have to say that? I'm Ka.go.me. Three simple syllables, why can't anyone get it right?" she cries. She has just gone from furious to nearly crying in less than... I check my watch. It took her just under five seconds.

"I'm sorry. You just look so much like her..." I whisper.

"Well, I'm not her!" she says in a fury (_'Wow. This one was ten seconds.')_, grabbing onto my jacket as she buries her face in my chest.

"Are the two of you related?" I question. "How do you know of her? ...And, more importantly, how do you know of Youko?"

"Kikyou and I aren't... well, we could be related..." She retorts. "I'm her reincarnation, and how I know of her and Youko is none of your business."

"Sort of like Youko and I," I say, though I don't think she wants a response to her unspoken question.

"What do you mean? At least people don't come after you for age-old grudges because they think you're some undead bitch of a clay pot, or try to steal your soul to resurrect said pot, or even..." she pauses now, and her voice becomes hushed. "...fall in love, all because you look like her."

"Hmph. And you think I haven't felt that before?" I can't believe this; someone with my same issues, my same problems, or at least very similar ones. This girl is incredible!

"Well... you haven't been through what I have!" she exclaims, and she stands.

"Try me," I say softly, but she doesn't hear me. She is already gone. She has just walked out on me for the second time today.

* * *

I lay in bed, pondering again. Kagome and I are the same. _'We are but reflections of long-dead legends, their memories given new flesh, yet we still live, we still breathe, but not even those closest to us seem to understand...'_

_'What? Are you saying that when they look at you they see me?'_ Youko wonders.

_'Yes,'_ I respond smoothly.

_'Good. I always was the better-looking one, after all.'_

_'Your point being?' _I will neither confirm nor deny his claim; that would be sinking down to his level.

_'I still have her jewel..._' I catch the hint and climb out of bed, setting up my identical twin, "Pillow Shuichi," to take my place should my mother come to check in on me. She will never notice the difference if I pull the covers up over his lumpy head.

I leap out the window with all the grace of a night predator, down to the sidewalk, and set off at a bounding run, going as fast as my human legs will take me. I am a stalking shadow in the night, hunting for the jewel that will surely bring me to my destined lover.

We enter an old cave. Once-verdant walls were now dead from neglect, and it smelled like feces. Something furry had made this its home.

'_Ah, the old lair,_' Youko sighs, his voice tinged with nostalgia. I groan.

_'By the way,'_ he warns me. _'You may want to duck.'_

A tremendous burst of energy passes centimeters from where my head was moments ago. '_It was off,_' he whines. '_I should really fix that...'_

_'Any other traps I should know about?_' I say.

_'Aside from the one you just stepped into?' _he answers.

_'The one I just... what?!' _I look at my feet and see that a purple jelly is bubbling around my feet.

_'It will freeze us solid. But don't worry; we'll thaw in a couple thousand years,_' he comments with a laugh.

_'You find this funny?'_ I snarl.

_'No, but it should recognize me, and let me go,'_ he explains.

_'Thieves,_' I sigh.

_'Humans,' _he sighs.

True to his prediction, the jelly bubbles away nearly as soon as it touches me, and I am free to go.

_'Now, you put me in charge,' _he tells me.

_'Why?' _I wonder.

_'Because I set up some impartial nasties about the jewel,'_ he says with a shrug. When I glare at him, he exclaims, _'What?!'_

_'I hate you. You know that?'_

_'We all know that you're lying,' _he says. Arrogant bastard._ 'And besides, this is the Shikon Jewel we're discussing. I know you've heard of it. Do you really want it in some strange demon's claws?'_

Wisely, I remain silent.

_'Youko, 1. Shuichi, 1.' _

I cross my fingers and retreat to the back of my mind, allowing him control. I laugh as I think how my friends might react to this little development.

_'You know that I've just realized how annoying I am?' _he complains. I just grin and let him do his thing.

I am aware of him entering his room. It smells like the moldy furs that cover the floor. Youko wrinkles my nose. How unpleasant. He remembers this room fondly. It is a place of many conquests. I wonder if Kikyou ever slept here.

He searches under layers of fur and whips out a chest, which he removes from its furry nest as though it is a bomb.

Before opening it, he mutters a dozen different incantations, and a dozen more after lifting the lid. Finally, he reaches inside and takes the pink jewel and hangs it around my neck.

He replaces the chest, and then we are off into the night. I will trust him to get us home safely; I am quite tired.

'_If we're on some park bench or something when I wake up...'_

_'Of course not!_' He almost sounds offended.

I let myself drift off, lending him complete control of my body.

* * *

When I open my eyes, I half-expect to find myself locked up in some prison in Makai, but instead here I am, in my own bed. Relieved, I checked to find the jewel still dangling about my neck. Youko is asleep. _'Yes! No commentary!'_

_'What do you mean by that?' _he asks drowsily.

_'We go to claim Kagome today!' _I shout.

_'Yes, yes, yes!' _he shouts back. Wait... _**him**_ shouting? This girl is closer to his heart than he's willing to admit, and now...

_'Looks as though you've pulled my into your obsession...'_

I am up and dressed in five minutes, packed for school in half that time, and ready to burst out the door after a grand total of ten minutes.

Now my only problem is entertaining myself for the several hours before school starts. I have never been this eager to go to that intellectual wasteland, but with Kagome waiting for me, I am practically shivering with anticipation. Damn obsessions.

Suddenly I wonder if I could visit her. Yes, and maybe watch her sleeping. That would be nice.

_'Stalker.'_ Youko's tone is accusing.

_'Look who's talking,_' I chide in good humor.

_'When do we leave?'_

_'Try... now.'_

I run out the door only to return five minutes later after realizing that I don't know where she lives. I grab a phone book from the cabinet and locate "Higurashi." There are three in walking distance, and Kagome would probably be listed under her parent's names. I pick the closest one, as she _**was **_walking by my house, and set off immediately. I think it's near that old shrine.

To my surprise, she lives at that old shrine. To think, all these years I've been living within a ten minute walk of destiny!

...but what if she is with one of the other two Higurashis?

It might be best if I don't get my hopes up. But still... a reincarnated priestess living at a shrine like this one. The poetry isn't lost on me.

It is a beautiful place, too, but now that I've tasted doubt, I just can't believe that she lives here. I would have seen her before, wouldn't I?

However, I decide to take my chances, and slip up the steps silently, just in time to see her coming out of an old well house. She looks rather dejected, and bruises cover her arms and legs. Is she abused?

Youko's first thought: _'Let me at whoever did this to her!'_

_'What I want to know first is why she is up at this hour of the morning,_' I retort.

I watch, intrigued, as she climbs up the side of the house and finally sits down on the roof, tears streaming down her cheeks like Niagara Falls.

_'Make with the comforting already!' _Youko yells at me, immediately setting me into motion.

I am on the roof with her in an instant, and I sit down beside her. "Kagome?"

She can't see me properly through her tear stained eyes, and she proves it when she mistakes me for another. "Inuyasha? You came here for me? But how..."

I am about to protest (honest!) when she cuddles closer. She is laying against my chest, and Youko is purring inside.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"Nothing, now that you're here, Inuyasha," she answers, her eyes brimming with tears. She is getting my jacket soaked, and this is good fabric, too!

My conscience is telling me that she thinks I'm this "Inuyasha" and that I am taking advantage, but I am kitsune. We live for moments like this. I wrap my arms around her gently and bury my face in her hair. She doesn't seem to mind. Youko silently thanks Inuyasha, whoever he is.

"Thank you," she whispered to me. "Even if you don't care, you don't realize how much this means to me."

_'Wait. So maybe she was in love with this Inuyasha fellow, and he didn't return her affections?'_

_'Brilliant deduction, genius,' _Youko drawls.

Suddenly, I remember what she said earlier:

_"What do you mean? At least people don't come after you for age-old grudges because they think you're some undead bitch of a clay pot, or try to steal your soul to resurrect said pot, or even... fall in love, all because you look like her."_

"Kagome, I do..."

Now she cries harder. "I know that you're lying. You chose Kikyou, remember? You chose a clay pot instead of me!"

'_So I was right.'_ I am smug.

'_Yeah, yeah. Now reel her in,'_ Youko suggests.

"You are the only one for me, Kagome," I reply, fully expecting a violent response, but she gives none. She just leans forward, her eyes closed, and kisses me, sending torrents of fierce emotions rushing through my body. They are focused in once place in particular...

I wrap my arms around her and return the favor, drawing her closer.

Youko-- not me, honest!-- is so busy exploring her mouth that we don't even notice her hands slowly traveling up my scalp, rubbing the place where Youko's ears usually stand, and then moving down, down, down, right to where my ears are. She feels them deftly. Now she opens her eyes, violently pulling away again. This woman is repetitive

"Youko!" she squawks.

"Kurama," I correct her.

"You... I... why I otta..."

"You know, you really shouldn't do that. It makes you look like poultry," I comment nonchalantly a la Youko.

'_Yum. Tasty,' _Youko murmurs.

_'Pervert,'_

Wisely, he remains silent.

_'Shuchi, 2. Youko, 1.'__  
_

Her mouth is moving now, but no sound emerges. I decide to break the silence. "Here. I brought the Jewel."

I unfasten it from my neck and dangle it in front of her. She snatches it immediately and hops off the roof, walking away from me for the third time since I first met her.

_'Does that mean a third kiss, too?'_ Youko is hopeful.

"I meant what I said, Kagome!" I call after her retreating form. She stops, but before she can say anything more, I leave. It is nearly time for me to get to school, and she needs time to sort out her thoughts.

* * *

The next day, she confronts me after class. Well, actually, she runs into me headfirst while attempting to avoid my eyes by looking at the ground, but Youko cannot not be outmaneuvered so easily. Heh, heh. 

"I want you to keep this," she says to me soberly. Something pink, hanging from a long chain, is held before me.

I reclaim it promptly. As it dangles between my fingers, I ask, "Why?"

"Consider it a... promise. To you, Kurama, not that... kinky kitsune," she says. This is well rehearsed.

_'Kinky kitsune?' _Youko screeches indignantly.

"A promise of what?"

"Friendship," she says mildly.

"What about love?" I murmur. She isn't meant to hear, but she does anyway. She smiles briefly.

"That too, just... not now. Someday, though. I promise, someday," she says. There is an undertone of sorrow to her voice. "I'm just not ready yet..."

"I understand," I say. "I'll be waiting."

"So will I."

She plants a chaste kiss on my cheek, and she is gone, but it doesn't matter. Two reflections, lost, have found each other. We will overcome the spectress that imprison us together and emerge as individuals, maybe even find happiness. We will weather this storm together, two leaves sailing on the winds of time.

**End**

**Revised 1/10/06**


End file.
